Kent State University
Michigan State University
Field Hockey Opens 2016 Season at Home Friday and Saturday
8/25/2016 12:43:00 PM | Field Hockey
Kent State field hockey will begin the 2016 season this weekend at home with games Friday against Michigan State and Saturday versus Villanova, both slated to start at noon.
Coverage
• A live video stream will be available at kentstatesports.com/watch
• Live stats will be up and running at sidearmstats.com/kent/fhockey
• All the action will be live-tweeted @KentStFH
The Matchups
Michigan State
• Kent State is 7-22-2 all-time against Michigan State
• Last season, the Golden Flashes lost 5-1 on the road
• The last victory over the Spartans came in 2010 in a 2-0 win on home turf
• Michigan State finished the 2015 season with a 5-14 record
Villanova
• Kent State is 4-2 all-time against Villanova
• The two teams last met in Kent in 2013 with the Flashes winning 4-1
• Kent State has won the last three meetings by a combined score of 14-5
• The Wildcats were 5-12 last season
Lofty Lineup
• The Golden Flashes enter the 2016 season with the majority of their starters returning to action as the team lost just three seniors from last year
• Madison Thompson, the team-leader in goals and points in 2015, will anchor the attacking line with Shannon Talbot, Krysti Lober, Alison Harmatz, and Eilidh Thomson and Jessica Apelt all returning
• In the midfield, the 2015 starters remain, as All-Region honoree Ines Delpech, Silvia Figa Malgosa and Jessica Nesbitt will begin their juniors seasons. The team will be bolstered by the return of Alexis Madeira who missed all of last year due to injury. Helen Harper and Aileen Ahlers also will put in valuable time
• Defense is the area where two starters will be absent from last season due to graduation. However, Jamie Fries and Courtney Weise come in with a lot of experience
• Behind them, goalkeeper Andrea Rinehart looks to continue where she left off. The perennial starter was the 2015 MAC Tournament MVP and will look to post her best season in her senior campaign
• Eight talented newcomers will prove their value as the season gets underway with many filling in lengthy minutes
Starting off Strong
• Kent State won its season-opener in dramatic fashion last year, winning the first game of the season for the first time since 2010
• The team beat VCU 3-2 in overtime to hand Head Coach Kathleen Wiler her 100th career victory
• Six different players registered a point in the contest
• 2015 was the first time the Golden Flashes opened the season at home since 2012
• Despite playing only five home contests last season (in which it was 5-0), Kent State will play ten games at Murphy-Mellis Field, not counting the MAC Tournament hosted by the Golden Flashes
Looking Ahead
• Kent State will head to the west coast over Labor Day weekend for games at California, Stanford and Pacific
• No. 11 Stanford will be the first nationally ranked team the Flashes will face this season
• The team will then come back to Murphy-Mellis Field to host Monmouth and Iowa on September 9 and September 11, respectively
